"Every setback helps me grow"

The most difficult time of Munas Dabbur's life came when he was still a teenager. When Dabbur was 16 years old, his father was killed in a car accident. "It was an unbelievably difficult experience, my dad meant everything to me," said the TSG player in a SPIELFELD interview. "But it carried me forward in life. If even the death of such an important person can't break me, then nothing can break me. There are always situations where I'm not doing well or I'm not satisfied. But it could always be worse. This knowledge gives me strength and allows me to see things in a different light. Every setback helps me grow."

Also in the interview, the 29-year-old Muslim spoke for the first time about the incidents that took place while he was on international duty with Israel. The forward was booed by his own supporters after scoring a goal. "Following a post I made on Instagram, people from all across the country attacked me. They twisted every one of my words and made them look bad. I did not have any bad intentions towards anyone, but these people were looking for conflict." Munas Dabbur even considered retiring from international football. "I was close to it. But the entire squad, the coaching staff and the president of the football association gave me their complete support."

The period since the most recent international break in November has been the forward's best at TSG Hoffenheim. Dabbur rounded off the first half of the season by scoring two goals and assisting a further three. "I went through two or three very difficult months. It's not a nice feeling to spend 90 minutes sitting on the bench and unable to help. That really got to me. We have an unbelievable level of competition and an enormously strong strong, especially in the attacking department. As a footballer in such a situation, you have to perform when you're called upon. I have already experienced such moments on a frequent basis in the past and know how I need to deal with them. And that's how I also learned: hard work is rewarded."

In addition to the exclusive Dabbur interview, the January edition of SPIELFELD magazine offers a comprehensive and detailed data analysis of the TSG Academy. It includes all 424 youngsters who have been developed in Hoffenheim in the period from 2006 to 2021 and played at least one match for the U17s, the U19s or the U23s. Since the Academy was founded in 2006, 94 graduates (22%) have managed to establish themselves in professional football – i.e. in the top three leagues. This successful youth development is an important foundation for the economic success of the club and illustrates why TSG has long since been a role model when it comes to the promotion of talented youngsters. Jens Rasiejewski, who has led the TSG Academy since June 2021, is delighted: "This evaluation shows that the work being done at the Academy is of the highest level." TSG also gained important insights into the significance of the birth month for career progression (Relative Age Effect) and where the threshold between junior and senior football lies.